Sidortsov, Roman, et al. “New Research Shows Old Mines Hold the Power to Energize Communities.” Michigan Technological University, 8 Aug. 2022, https://www.mtu.edu/news/2022/08/new-research-shows-old-mines-hold-the-power-to-energize-communities.html.
When searching for more renewable energy sources, researchers came up with a way to do so using old mines. There are many abandoned mines that were left after they have been drawn of all their minerals. The researchers want to convert those mines into hydroelectric pumps. The value of hydroelectric pumps is that they are reliable—unlike wind or solar, they continue to produce electricity at all times, while also being a sustainable source of energy.
I think that this is a very good idea. In the world there are many mines that are not being used today, so why shouldn’t we utilize them to produce more renewable energy? Additionally, hydroelectric energy has far fewer drawbacks than solar and wind. If there is no wind or sunlight, energy is no longer produced. Hydroelectric energy is produced by the conversion of potential energy to mechanical energy by powering the turbines. Still, there are some concerns about producing energy in this form. People are questioning whether polluted water would affect the result. Another concern is the aesthetics of the turbines. All considered, I still believe they should continue building more hydroelectric pumps from abandoned mines as the pros outweigh the cons.
I agree with you, this sounds like an efficient and useful way to utilize old gold mines. I also like how hydroelectric pumps are better for the environment. I wonder how much money this would cost?
Hi, thank you for your question! According to a study, “It will cost roughly $100m and will generate 145,000 megawatt hours (MWh) per year, or enough energy to power some 27,500 homes.” Definitely a lot, but it is a good investment for a long-term solution.
I think this is very promising and hopefully, this will begin to happen. It seems that building these and finding water to flow through these hydroelectric pumps will be very expensive. What other environmental issues could this cause also?
Hi, thank you for your question! The main environmental issues would be aesthetics, impacting wildlife (depending on the location), and if the mine collapses it would destroy the plant.
I agree with you that this is a good idea. It can increase our use of renewable energy, while simultaneously utilizing unused space. With the cost of building the wind turbines, would it balance out with the outcome of the renewable energy being produced?
Hi, thank you for your question! It is a very costly option, however, we would be repurposing old mines so it “kills two birds with one stone”. Eventually, it would balance out, but it would take a while. This is more of a long-term solution and we would need to do more research before moving ahead with it.